For others, it immortalizes an event or aspect of the individual's life. Still others use tattoos as a rite of passage, while others use them to announce membership to specific organizations, or even just to the community of the marked in general.
Whatever your reason may be, there are certain aspects of tattooing that one should be aware of before committing to the decision. Standards of hygiene vary from state to state, and there is no monitoring of quality or style in any of them! Buyer beware has never been truer than in this instance. Doing no research and going to the shop closest to your home (unless you live in a major city, and even then, it is a gamble) is one sure way to get a lousy permanent piece of "art" on your body. The best work is not always right around the corner, but an informed consumer will know which area artist is the best at the style of the chosen piece and choose their artist accordingly. Another sure way to get a lousy tattoo is going to whomever your friend goes to, or the guy that your co-worker assures you "is the best" because he knows this guy who went out with this girl, who's brother.....you get the point.
So to avoid your picture turning up on a website like
this read over the material below!
How to Choose Your Tattoo:
Along these same lines comes words, and in particular, names. Did you know that the most frequently covered up tattoos are names?
(click here for more interesting and fun statistics about tattoos)
There is a reason for that, because relationships, like fashion, constantly change, and no matter how intense your feelings are at the time, there is no promise that will always be so. There are of course some exceptions to this, most notably, the memorial tattoo honoring a loved one who has passed away. But even in this case, perhaps there are alternatives. Imagery symbolic of the person is a great way to pay homage to a loved one without using words, or even a portrait done by a talented portrait tattoo artist can speak to this. The picture below is of a NYC firefighter and his memorial tattoo for 9/11/01 and two other 9/11/01 memorial tattoos.
Where to Find a Good Artist:
A Word About Fashion:
Fashion, although a common one, is a relatively bad reason to get a tattoo. Sure, you love DNKY brand
clothing, and can't ever envision having a closet full of anything but their stuff, but remember Bennetton?
Logos are a universally bad choice for tattoos. There is nothing personal or special about "branding"
yourself with a corporate label, and they won't even pay you for the free advertising! Also,
as I will get to in a moment, a label leaves neither room for artistic expression on the part of the artist, nor individuality for you, the wearer of the tattoo.
Regarding the "fashionable" position that tattoos currently hold, remember, this too shall pass. Unless you have a real attraction for skin art, tattoos are not for you. Remember that a tattoo is permanent, you will have to live with it for the rest of your life, even when you go to a job interview, meet your significant other's parents, visit your OWN parents, and yes, even when your skin sags in age and your tattoo does not look quite the way it used to. Also, if you want to keep your tattoo looking as good as it (hopefully) looked the day you got it, you are committing to a lifetime of covering the tattoo from the sun, beach bunnies need not apply! Removal is an option of course, but it can be a lengthy and potentially very expensive endeavor. Click
here for more about tattoo removal.
Okay, so you've read all my warnings and cautions, and you're still gung ho about getting a tattoo. Good for you! Now comes the hard part, choosing your tattoo. Hopefully if you found this website and are taking the time to read this page, you have already thought about what you would like your tattoo to be. Hopefully it has some personal significance to you, or represents something that has touched your life. The title of this web page is "Graffiti of the Soul" for a reason. I would make a strong argument that for tattooing to surpass classification as a "craft" and become "art" it must convey something powerful, something meaningful, and something reflective of the bearer's inner world. I have seen many tattoos that are visually pleasing, stylistically exciting, and artistically rendered. They are beautiful, that cannot be denied. But over the years, one cannot help but wonder when the colors fade and the skin sags what the bearer will think.
That is not to say that every tattoo must be a graphical representation of a person, place or thing. Some designs can convey an emotion in a way that a literal rendering never could. An example of a tattoo artist would be Guy Aitchison
(among others) has made his style of tattooing into an art form all it's own.
Many people would go out of the way to collect a piece of art by Guy or many other giants in the industry, regardless of the specific subject matter. I guess my point is to caution you to think beyond what "looks cool" to you and challenge yourself to find something that "is cool" to you, something that touches you or moves you emotionally. I cannot promise that you'll never regret your tattoo if you consider these things, but I can say that it will reduce your chances of regret to some degree.
If you are just at the preliminary stage of planning your tattoo, take a few months and collect some magazines. Tear out things that inspire you, or appeal to you particularly, and save them. Soon you will see that certain styles appeal to you, while others do not. If you have an idea of the subject matter of your tattoo, don't limit yourself to just images of that subject. Try to focus more on the style of the work you are viewing, as just about any image can be rendered in a particular style by a competent artist. Hopefully you can assemble enough examples to bring to your chosen artist (we'll get to that in a minute) to assist in visually explaining what you would like your design to look like.
That said, I would advise anyone who plans to get their tattoo done by a reputable artist to be flexible in their design. It has been my experience as both an artist and a tattoo collector that the best work allows the artist some room of creativity and expression. Additionally, your tattoo artist will be able to account for placement on the body and how the image will work in a given location. A good artist will take the contours and natural shape of your body and muscles into account when they create a design for you, something that would be difficult for a layperson to fully grasp. In other words, just because it looks good placed on the leg of the person in the magazine does not mean it will look good on your chest or back, at least not without some modification.
So now you have a design in mind that you would like, and hopefully a style. How the heck do you find an artist to do it? Well, first off, look through those pictures you've saved, usually they have the name of the shop and artist on them or referenced in the magazine. Are any of them close by? How far are you willing to drive for a piece of artwork you will have for the rest of your life? People fly from continent to continent to collect art, and you should view your tattoo in the same way. Luckily, there is no need to leave the country, or probably even the state, if you ask the right people! If none of the pictures you have saved came from shops that are in reasonable driving distance, try emailing or calling them. The tattoo community is a tightly knit group, and when an artist is good, their name gets out, particularly to other good artists. Think about it, their reputation is on the line when they make the referral, even if they can't do the tattoo itself they would come off looking rather stupid if they sent you to someone incompetent when you approached them in the first place because of their talent.
Another way to approach the problem is to ask people whose ink you admire where they went to get it. This approach can be somewhat frustrating though, as people tend to collect tattoos from different shops at different times, and you may ask quite a few people before you get a local response.
Ultimately, the best advice is to find out who the leaders in that style are (magazines are good for that too), and try to book them, distance be damned, or hit a tattoo convention, and shop around in person for just the right artist.
The Shop:
The next 4 headers should not be considered separately from each other. Problems in ANY area are grounds for finding a new artist, but I've broken them out this way because there are certain things to look for in each that may affect the tattoo you get, and your pleasure with the experience.
The first thing to consider, and it will be the first thing you see, is the shop itself. Even great shops cannot always afford the rent in the "nicer" parts of town, so location in and of itself should not be a factor, but the general upkeep of the building should be. Is it clean and safe? Do you feel comfortable there?
The next thing to note is whether or not there is a significant amount of "flash pages"
on the walls. "Flash Pages" are copies of predrawn tattoos that are generally in books or
on the walls of shops. These designs can be run through a stencil machine,
and the stencil can be applied to your body, and the tattooist just "colors" in the lines.
A good shop might not have a huge abundance of flash, in fact, good artists often really resist using flash to do tattoos, one, because there is no originality to them, and two, because these tattoos are "dime a dozen" and many people can and do walk around with exactly the same tattoo created from the same page of flash. Still, if the shop has an abundance of flash, don't walk out the door just yet, maybe they provide them for customer & artist inspiration, not for actual tattooing, that will become apparent when you meet the artist.
The Artist:
Hopefully you've followed my advice to this point and found an artist, and are now contacting the shop. Many shops have one or two veteran and talented artists on staff, and a few less skilled or less experienced artists as well. If you are now visiting the shop to discuss your design and you get a hard time regarding who will work with you, stick to your guns! You did not get this far to have your tattoo passed off to someone of less skill than the person who attracted you to the shop in the first place, and a sketchy manager would much rather you get tattooed (and pay!) that day by a novice than have you wait up to two months or even more to see the talented person who has plenty of business already. Maybe you're feeling adventurous, or generous, and are willing to give the newer person a try, nothing wrong with that, but be sure you are paying less than you would have for the more experienced person, if not, something is fishy.
Personally, when it comes to permanent body art, I am neither adventurous nor generous (except in tipping of course!) and if I walk in to meet with one artist in particular, that is who I meet with, even if I have to wait, or even come back another day. This is more important for custom work than for flash work, as I mentioned before, the skill involved in "coloring" a traced design is much less than creating an original piece of art, and the prices often reflect this. Use your discretion to decide which person is better suited for your budget and for your design.
So now you are meeting with the artist for the first time. A few things to pay attention to. First and foremost, are they listening to you? When you are explaining what you want, are they listening, or plodding ahead with what "their" vision is, regardless of your input? Not listening is an immediate red flag, if you're describing one thing, and they're drawing another, even after you've tried to clarify, it might be time to look for a new artist. No matter how good they are, it's you who will look at this tattoo every day for the rest of your life, not them, and while a certain amount of creativity should be encouraged, ultimately it must be your design and choices that make up the majority of the image. Are they patient with you, or, more like your primary care physician, already out the door while they're still sitting with you? If you're not getting the attention and patience with the design, again, time to go. If the artist does not have time to actually draw out your design right then, they should offer to do it later, and correspond with you about it when it's done, this should not be a rushed process!
Another huge red flag here refers back to the part about tattoo flash. If the tattooist insists that you choose from their pages of flash, RUN DON'T WALK! This is a person without artistic talent of their own, and has no interest in giving you what you truly want, unless it happens to be hanging on their wall. At best, you will get an "okay" tattoo at a cheap price, but who in the world wants that? It's hard to believe with so many talented artists out there that these shops manage to stay in business, but I assure you, they are out there. Make sure you're not their next victim! Also, do they have a portfolio? Are they hesitant to show you pictures of their work? Do they have a number of consistently good tattoos in their portfolio, or are some miles above the rest? Any of these factors may give you reason to reconsider.
The ultimate point here is that you must feel comfortable expressing your thoughts, questions and feelings to your artist. Don't be shy, if you don't like what they're doing, let them know when it's on paper, not after it's on your skin! No one in the industry wants you to leave his or her shop unhappy, but if you don't open your mouth, it's no one's fault but your own if that's what happens. Sadly, I know this from experience, don't let yourself be bullied into going with something you're not 100% satisfied with, you'll regret it immediately!
Hygiene:
The next, and by far most important aspect of evaluating a tattoo shop is the hygiene. Unfortunately, we live in a scary world in which blood born diseases are a genuine reason for concern. Let's not lose sight of the fact that while you are getting a tattoo, you are also potentially exposing yourself to any of these diseases, so the more you know, the better. Tattooing could literally be the death of a customer if proper procedures are not strictly carried out. Needles and equipment must be properly sterilized, cross-contamination and strict sterilization techniques must be adhered to, or disease can spread as quickly as wildfire. I don't say this to scare you, but to inform you!
Some noteworthy points regarding hygiene before and during your visit to a shop:
Equipment:
The modern western tattoo machine works through usually two electromagnets driving a spring-loaded reciprocating needle assembly. This assembly penetrates the skin about 6000 times per minute, although this rate is varied depending on the type of needle being used.
Interestingly, the modern tattoo machine design can be attributed to the work of Thomas Edison.
The Anatomy of a Tattoo:
A tattoo is a puncture wound, made deep in your skin, that's filled with ink. It's made by penetrating your skin with a needle and injecting ink into the area, usually creating some sort of design. What makes tattoos so long-lasting is they're so deep - the ink isn't injected into the epidermis (the top layer of skin that you continue to produce and shed throughout your lifetime). Instead, the ink is injected into the dermis, which is the second, deeper layer of skin. Dermis cells are very stable, so the tattoo is practically permanent.
Tattoos used to be done manually - that is, the tattoo artist would puncture the skin with a needle and inject the ink by hand.
Preparing to be Tattooed:
Many people about to get tattooed are concerned with the pain associated with the process. At a minimal, there is a sort of discomfort involved. How far up on the pain meter the experience rates depends largely on the individual getting the tattoo and their tolerance to pain. Other factors include the size of the tattoo, the length of time the process takes, the placement choice on the body, and the skill level of the tattoo artist doing the tattooing.
One common mistake is drinking before the tattoo. A good shop will not tattoo a person under the influence of any substance, but alcohol is a particular cause for concern, one, because we all know the stupid choices that drunks tend to make, and two, because alcohol thins your blood, you may bleed more during the process, and ink is often bled out as well, leaving you with a faded or spotty tattoo, not something any artist is looking to add to their portfolio!
I WANT OUT!